1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mobile communication terminal, and in particular, to a method and device for user input such as key input in a mobile communication terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
A mobile communication terminal provides various additional services beyond basic call service. For example, these additional services include, but are not limited to, a short message service, a multimedia message service, a game service for game play, and a wireless Internet service.
The increasing number of additional services provided through the mobile communication terminal results in changes to a user interface. At the early stages of the mobile communication technology, a key input unit constituted only numeric keys in which a plurality of alphabetic characters were assigned to each numeric key of 0 to 9 and basic function keys for call and end call. However, a current key input unit can include a plurality of alphabetic characters assigned to one numeric key, thereby increasing its complexity. Similarly, the complexity of a function key such as a direction key has increased in kind, thereby increasing both the total number of key buttons of the key input unit, and functions provided to each function key. In the mobile communication terminal, the key buttons are essential constituent elements for allowing a user to control an operation of the mobile communication terminal. However, each button is not used in each of the various operation modes or in a predetermined operation control. Despite the fact that depending on an operation mode currently set to the mobile communication terminal or the operation in execution, only a few related key buttons are utilized. A large number of provided key buttons tend to inconvenience the user and cause inefficiency.
The size of the mobile communication terminal is increasingly shrinking as are the key buttons. The decreasing size of the key buttons is inconvenient for the user, and further requires more delicate manipulation. The size of a display screen of the mobile terminal has increased as has the information provided to the user. However, the minimally guaranteed area of the key input unit limits the size by which the display screen can increase. This causes further user dissatisfaction.
Augmented reality (AR) is a user interface technology for matching a virtual video generated by a computer with a real video viewed by a user. AR is a technology for real-time synthesizing of virtual additional information, such as a character and a graphic, generated by the computer with the real video viewed by the user, and displaying the synthesized result in order to greater enhance a real sense and a recognition degree. An AR system's real time matches the real video obtained through a camera with the computer generated virtual video, tracks a positioning of the camera using tracker, error corrects the tracker and the camera, and it simulates the matched result in two or three dimensions. AR is utilized in various fields including, but not limited to, game, broadcasting, education, medicine, design, and advertisement.
As described above, AR can detect user's motion so long as a camera, a display unit, and a processor for video data processing.
Accordingly, a user input method of the mobile communication terminal having the AR feature will be embodied with more convenience.